2024 01-12 SB Channel
After a few days with gale force winds, it was a joy to find blue skies all day in The Channel today without wind. At one point, some light ripples appeared on the surface, just to keep us honest. The water clarity remains very good. Sightings today included a gray whale and 50 long beaked common dolphins.
After a brief stop to take a look at the general layout of the Santa Barbara kelp farm, we continued to cross the entire Channel ended up near Fry's Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. From there we ran east and ended up off Karen point close to the eastern end of the island. Along the way, we found three very small pods of dolphins Separated by a mile or two. Very uncommon for common dolphins.
It was off Cavern Point that we finally spotted a gray whale. It was a lone adult whale,] migrating south.…which, in our neck of The Channel means heading east for a while. This whale wasn't entirely cooperative, it zigzagged all over the place, had long down times and short surface times.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store,
Bob Perry,
Condor Express and
Pacific Gray Whales can be very elusive, zigzag, double back maneuvers with minimal body surface sightings due to snorkeling and blowing out underwater. Their fluke prints can be a give away on a calm day as they prefer an optimal depth of two and one-half body widths below the surface for greatest efficiency. Something that the whales pick up on a 5,000 mile journey.